Power amps are easy to ignore. They sit there, silent and unassuming, just a big box with a plain faceplate. No knobs to turn, no screens to watch, no dials to tweak. Compared to the turntable, the DAC, the preamp, or the speakers, they seem almost boring. And yet, the lonely power amplifier is a critical component.
Second only to the loudspeakers.
A great power amp is invisible—it gets out of the way, delivering music with clarity, drive, and control. But your run-of-the-mill amp? Loss of dynamics. Its character can change as the music gets loud—when the opposite should be happening. A meh amp can smear the details no matter how perfect the source.
It has taken me far too long to appreciate just how much the power amplifier was shaping what I heard.
It's so much more interesting to upgrade and tweak sources and modifiers.
Looking back, I wonder—why is it so easy to overlook something so critical? Is it the plainness? The lack of interaction? Or is it because, when a power amp is truly doing its job, it disappears?
